Saturday, August 06, 2005
>> TINGARA
TINGARA’s new album “Kaze no Senritsuâ€? (Melody of the Wind), the group’s sixth, is set to be released on September 21, 2005. To get the word out, they’ve enlisted the ears and fingers of bloggers and have sent out advance copies of the soon-to-be-released album around the world (well, at least you know that I’m here in Hawaii). TINGARA is currently a duo (prior albums listed Gerhen Oshima [Tokyo] as a main member but he still plays sanshin for the group) of Tsugumi (Okinawa) on vocals and Hideo Ishijima (Yokohama) on keyboards (he also handles programming and sound producing which basically means that he’s the guy who sets the mood for the group’s albums).
Some of you may remember the beautiful Tsugumi from her days as the keyboardist for the ultra-popular O-Pop group Rinken Band which she was a part of from 1990 to 1993. Hideo Ishijima is a studio musician who happened to meet Tsugumi through a mutual friend, Okinawan artist/musician Bokunen Naka who also is a songwriter for some of the group’s songs (he has also penned the lyrics for songs from Rinken Band) and most, if not all, of the beautiful artwork for TINGARA’s albums were done by him.
TINGARA’s music is described as “Ryukyu Ambient Soundâ€? and features Southeast Asian influences and a very soft, soothing sound via Tsugumi’s vocals and Hideo’s sound manipulation. Gerhen Oshima’s sanshin playing on a few of the songs adds that Okinawan sound to the group’s songs and instantly gives TINGARA its unique sound. The group’s music makes it perfect to play in the background and I’m sure that people who listen to the healing music genre will fall in love with TINGARA’s sound. One of my favorite songs off of “Kaze no Senritsuâ€? is the seventh track called “Minami no Haruâ€? which can definitely make it onto the top of any adult contemporary singles chart. All of the songs on the album are originals — most penned by Tsugumi — so it’ll be great to one day see the group release an album of Okinawan traditional music with their original sound.
With the release of the group’s first album “TINGARAâ€? (1999) on an indie label, they’ve been able to release a new full album every year on the Victor Entertainment major label beginning with “Sakiyodaâ€? (2001), “Taiyou no Hanaâ€? (2002), “Miruyakanayaâ€? (2003), “Unasakaâ€? (2004), “TINGARA BESTâ€? (2005), and “Kaze no Senritsuâ€? (2005).
If you’re looking for something different, something soothing, something tege (laid back), give TINGARA a listen. The group’s music can be purchased online at one of my favorite stores YesAsia.com or from CDJapan.co.jp (my other favorite). Email me at uzagaku[at]gmail[dot]com is you’re interested in listening to a sample of the group’s music. Incidentally, the group also keeps a blog over here and don’t forget to check out the group’s official website too.
[UPDATE: I mistakenly wrote Hideo Ishijima’s name as Hideo Oshima (I know his last name is Ishijima — my fault for not catching that the first time around). Gomen nasai Ishijima-san!]
[posted with ecto]
iTuned: ��船 from the album “風�旋律� by TINGARAPosted by Richie at 07:08 PM
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